Shattered rocks littered the torn ground of the Lifeblood Pillar. Pained earth elementals still clattered angrily along barren ridges. The tracks they had followed across the Basin led to a ravine cut between the hunched Pillar remnants, large cat tracks merging with worg and worgen prints, coming and going from a jagged cave yawning under the rocks.

Daevra sat in the dark, legs drawn up to her chest, her head resting on her knees. If she could just fold tight enough, maybe the flurry of emotions would be scrunched small enough to stop hurting so much.

It seemed impossible, huddled in this little outpost tower north of the ruins. Arcane radiation interfered with the guild stone communications, but many Dragoons were making their check-ins and heading to the rendezvous.

Nore watched Wes sleep next to the solid ghost of his worg. She still wasn’t sure that the ghost wasn’t a temporary construct from the excessive energies still crackling through the air, a shared hallucination formed into a symbol of shared loss and pain.

She hoped that Reave was back permanently. It would break Wes’ heart to lose the worg again. Especially since they still weren’t sure of Skipper’s fate; the foul-mouthed parrot hadn’t been seen since Northwatch.

The stormy winds calm as the western sky brightens. The sun is a molten gold disk, merging into the red and orange horizon, reflected by the ocean waters. Waves rise and fall, as steady as a heartbeat.

As steady as the drum beats echoing in my memories of shattered pink crystals, silvery forests filled with smoke, the cold haze of the marsh where we huddled, trying to live while waiting to die.

The afternoon sun finally appeared over Sholazar Basin, light splashing through the thick green canopy. Rainwater caught on plants and stones sparkled. Aerella was already saddle-sore; her guide had decided they could leave the Nesingwary camp once the rain had gone from torrential downpour to light misting earlier that morning. They followed an ancient road winding along the south rim of the valley toward the broken Lifeblood Pillar.

“I had that dream again,” Madi said, looking over the balcony rail down to the river that ran alongside Amberpine.

Across the table, Aerella sipped her tea. “It’s not unusual, Madi. What happened to Tav was terrible, but I’m here now.” She reached across the table to grip her friend’s hand. Madi smiled sadly as she squeezed Aerie’s hand in return.